Inside The Studio: Will Kurtz

The experience of being an artist has always been more than producing work for me. It’s truly about a connection to others. Art (both painting and photography) is how I bring these connections to life. I want to hear stories, why people do what they do and how they got to where they are.
A world I have always been very fascinated by is the artist in their working environment. In the past, I’ve studied musicians and sometimes other photographers but rarely the painter or sculptor. It’s been a dream of mine to photograph these types of artists, with light interview involved, showing a new side of the art world at large. I’ve wanted to see and show where it all begins and my time at the New York Academy of Art has now brought a dream to life. Thanks to artist Guno Park, I will be a part of a video and still photography series exploring former NYAA students’ studios. The first is complete and I’m honored to be a part of it.

Here’s a bit about the experience: After a few subway rides and great conversation, Guno led me to the studio of former NYAA fellow Will Kurtz. Located in Queens, a gigantic building surrounded by mild traffic and barbed wire greeted us. We walked through floors of closed doored studios to Will’s, an extremely large space shared with two other artists. Will’s beautiful sculptures were there to greet us alongside him, as well as some great music playing in the background. A wall lined with windows and warm light (as well as an incredible view) wasn’t what I expected. The space was wonderful but the experience was even better. As you can see in his video interview with Guno, Will is an extremely kind man and an amazingly dedicated artist. His path to nyaa and now to his upcoming show at Mike Weiss Gallery is as incredibly unique as he is driven and talented. His connection to human beings was something I shared and became even more inspired by.
After taking many still shots of Will and his work (all while listening to his story).. Guno and I left feeling quite a bit of pride in what we were venturing into with this new project. We both knew how well it went, without even beginning to edit the footage and photography we had gained.

Extremely proud and excited to have been invited along, I hope this series continues. It is literally a dream come true. Watch the video here and enjoy the photography as you grab a glimpse into the work and life of Will Kurtz.